Finding Home at Haven Blog Conference 2013

Last weekend, I crossed an item off of my blogging bucket list and attended my first (and definitely not my last) blog conference: Haven. Haven is a gathering of d.i.y. and home decor bloggers, brands, and fans…so of course, I was in my element.

The conference tagline is “because there’s no place like home,” and it wasn’t until this past weekend that I realized the double meaning of that tagline. Yes, many of us share the connection that we blog about making our house a home. But little did I know that I’d find myself feeling so at home at Haven among the incredible attendees there. It was like I had found the secret club meeting of people who love to dumpster dive and reclaim pallets and go thrift shopping and get paint under their nails and callouses from glue guns…just like me! But this secret club meeting was 350+ people strong, and not so secret (as our fellow hotel guests would soon discover–apparently, we’re a rowdy bunch!).

I could probably write you a novella about my weekend, but I’m going to do my darnest to distill it to some highlights from my time at Haven 2013. In fact, let’s break it down, category-style.

How about…5 things that rocked my world at Haven 2013!

the roomies

the sessions

the SWAG

the Insta-fun

the connections

Ready? Steady? Let’s GO!

The Roomies

If it hadn’t been for my Orlando blogger buddy and Haven roomie, Rachel from Lines Across, I’m not sure if I would have even ended up at Haven. She’s the one who told me about it in the first place when we first met up at a Panera this past December; she piqued my interest enough that I was ready to buy my ticket when they went on sale in January, and I ended up snagging one the day before they sold out (phew!).

Rachel and I have become good friends since our first lunch date, so it was a no-brainer that we’d be road trip buddies. The 7 hours from Orlando to Atlanta flew by because…well…we have no shortage of things to talk about!, and she turned me onto the wonders that are the Caesar salad and loaded baked potato at Wendy’s. Yum.

Although we didn’t know our other two roomies in advance, Rosemary from Not Just Paper & Paint and Denise from Denise Designed ended up being such gems. Rosemary should win some sort of Girl Scout Award for preparedness because if there was something we had forgotten at home, Rosemary had it! She also was a dear and saved us seats at every session we attended together. Thanks to her, I wasn’t always sitting in the back row! #perpetuallylate And Denise wowed us with her packing skills (she’s an expert traveler) and her coordination of note-sharing from the different sessions. Way to max out our learning, Denise!

The Sessions

So, I was totally that teacher who always loved professional development days and showed up with a fresh notebook and pen, eager to take notes and learn-learn-learn. Well, Haven was no exception! I brought my lappy with me and put my typing skills to the test, soaking up wisdom from bloggers and brand reps. who so generously shared their knowledge and experience with us.

“Be business women! Talk to people who are business people and learn from them.”

SATURDAY

After some pretty rich, but “heady” sessions on Friday, I enjoyed some more hands-on sessions on Saturday that spoke to the kinesthetic learner in me.

Advanced Painting with Marian Parsons from Miss Mustard Seed and Shaunna West from Perfectly Imperfect. We got to paint with chalk paint and milk paint, trying all sorts of techniques…this was truly an incredible class to take from the pros! I’m even more excited than ever to tackle some furniture refinishing projects.

Hands on Design Advice – Layer by Layer, Step by Step with Kristin Jackson from The Hunted Interior, Emily A. Clark, and Sarah Macklem from The Yellow Cape Cod. I learned some helpful tips on accessorizing, what not to do in interior design, and how to mix patterns in bedding.

Oh, and my favorite part of that session was the competition at the end where two audience members went head to head in an accessorizing challenge. They each had 3 minutes to style a table using the accessories on hand, and my sweet, new friend Emily from Two Purple Couches was one of those two competitors, and guess what? She won! As determined by the raucous audience applause, of course. {So proud of her.}

The SWAG

Okay, so I had heard rumors about the SWAG (“stuff we all get”) given out by the Haven sponsors, but nothing prepared me quite for the barrage of freebies sent our way. A picture is worth a thousand words, so let’s cut to the chase:

Crazy, right? And the funny thing is that every time I went to go snap a photo of this assortment, a different item was missing. Mark whisking them away into the garage to try out. Already, we’ve used the protective eyewear from 3M, RustOleum’s Never-Wet spray and comfort grip spray can handle, and the Kreg jig kit. I think Mark might be tempted to go to Haven next year, just for the goodies!

But freebies aside, it was truly fantastic to connect with so many brands that were excited about working with bloggers. I had convos with reps at several booths that got my gears turning about ideas for future collaborations. I also loved that so many of the brands really made our visit to their booth so enjoyable. I mean, Home Depot had cornhole set up! That made this former Ohio gal very happy.

The Insta-fun!

So, some of you may have noticed that my Instagram activity peeked last month, and Haven is to blame! The lovely Haven coordinators planned a photo-a-day challenge for us, and by George, I accepted the challenge! Somehow, I even managed to stick with it. Every single day. Now, I may have been a day or two or three late with some, but I got there, eventually. And little did I know that it would prove to be such a great way to connect with bloggers before the conference. There were so many friendly faces I recognized BECAUSE of our correspondence and “likes” on Instagram…so many people that came up to me and said, “I recognize you from Instagram!”

Annnnd, here’s a collage of all of my photo-a-day pics for July! You can visit me on Instagram to read the captions or comment!

Click the photo for a closer look!

Have you ever done a photo-a-day challenge before on Instagram? If not, I highly recommend it. You all just use the same hashtag, and then everyone can see all photos linked to that hashtag. It’s a great way to connect and build momentum before a big event like Haven! I’ve also heard of people coming up with their own hashtag for a wedding as a way to collect photos taken by guests (brilliant!).

The Connections

Connecting with blogger buddies in real life was by far the most valuable aspect of Haven–meeting face-to-face with many bloggers who I follow and admire through the computer screen and making new connections with folk who “get” me. All of this just contributed to the feeling of “home” at Haven.

Here are some snapshots from my moments of connection throughout the weekend:

Central Florida bloggers, unite! Finally, after corresponding via email and Facebook for months, Rachel and I got to connect with Sarah from While They Snooze and Katie from Sew Woodsy. Isn’t it funny that it took us going to Haven in Atlanta to finally meet-up!?

Lynda from Oh So Shabby and I connected pretty much instantaneously. She is a riot! And hearing her talk about her sweet daughters and the gifts they stuffed into her suitcase warmed my heart! She’s a true super-mom! Then, I finally got to meet Emily from Two Purple Couches, and we needed to take a pic for our mutual bloggy buddy who connected us in the first place: Thalita from The Learner Observer. (Hi Thalita!)

What was so surreal was getting to meet some of the blogging all-stars…the ones who have gone before us and paved the way! Mandi from Vintage Revivals was one of those people for me. She won me over with her post on Blog Puberty this January, and I’ve been a fan ever since. Can you tell I’m starstruck in this pic?

And then there was the sweet moment when I met Stacy from Not Just a Housewife, and she asked to take a picture with me! What?! I was just floored by how kind everyone was.

That evening, I also got to hang with the Texans from Huckleberry Love. They’re as sweet in real life as they are in blogland. No surprise there.

Another highlight of the evening was getting to meet Candace from Vintage News Junkie. This girl made me feel like a rockstar when she brought up posts from The Thinking Closet vault…like my Liebster post where I share the fun fact that I can recite all of the American Presidents from Washington to Obama at lightening speed. You can bet that she asked me to recite them (and I did it!), and then she wowed me with her recitation of all 50 states in alphabetical order. We embrace our inner nerd!

Okay, so many moons ago, Kelly from View Along the Way and I declared our best bloggy friendship. Naturally, there was a lot of screaming and hugging involved when we finally connected at Haven. Here we are showing off our “best friend” necklaces. (Remember those?)

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention KariAnne from Thistlewood Farms. She is one of the best storytellers I have ever met. Literally, after the Advanced Advertising session, a group of us were gathered around her, hanging on her every word for what might have been an hour. She is one of the funniest, warmest, and most talented women I have ever met, and if you have never read her blog, stop what you are doing and head straight that way. Prepare to get sucked into her stories.

And to wrap up this segment, here’s one of my favorite photos captured this past weekend: these are the smiling faces of blogger buddies turned real life buddies after a dinner at Gordon Biersch. Maybe we’ll see your smiling face in this photo next year?

Wrap-Up

Stay tuned because Thursday, I’ll be sharing pics of some of the many business cards I collected at Haven (as well as announcing my MOO Giveaway winners!). So, the fun isn’t over yet, my pretties!

And for any Haven Mavens or Haven coordinators in the hiz-ouse who might be reading this, thanks for doing your part to make Haven such a welcoming, inspirational event. There was such a generosity of spirit among all the folk I interacted with…so thank you for helping me find home at Haven. I’ll keep clicking my ruby slippers until I can get back to Haven again…hopefully next year!

Here’s to embracing our inner nerd! I’m still reeling off of the high of meeting you for the first time at that RYOBI dinner (where I apparently ate your business card). So glad you introduced yourself and that we’re now real life friends!

Aww, it looks like you had so much fun, Lauren! I am kinda jealous, but mostly because I wasn’t there to join in all the fun 😉 Can’t wait to see the business cards!
On a side note, I can recite the US presidents AND the 50 states in alphabetical order, but have trouble getting all 16 German states together! Nerdiness is weird that way haha

Okay, when we get together someday (and it will happen), our first act will have to be a recitation of the US Presidents in unison. That would make my life in so many ways. (And I might need to learn the 50 states in ABC order just so we can be even more nerdy together.) Sound like a plan?

I think the conference is slated for mid-July and tickets went on sale in early January this year; but I heard a rumor that they might delay it a bit longer to cut down on ticket transfers. I’ll definitely let you know if I hear any more details on dates. Glad to hear you’re hoping to attend! Woot woot!

Wow, Lauren! Looks like it was an amazing time. Thanks so much for sharing your experience with all of us. I kinda want to go now…maybe I’ll have to revive my blog just so I can have the fun road trip, SWAG, new friends, and inner nerd time. So happy for you that you have found your blogging home, my friend!

You’d be surprised how many non-bloggers there were who attended…or folk who had been bloggers once or were hoping to start a blog in the future. You’d be MORE than welcome there! In fact, with your conference and lecture experience, I’d advocate that you teach a session next year on writing really awesome comments. Girl, you’ve got it dialed!

Of course, Abbey! That map was out of this world amazing…not to mention the wicked awesome fabric you gave us…and the RIT dye I was able to take home at the end there. Thanks for your generosity, and I cannot WAIT to use all the new swag from Online Fabric Store!

YAY! So glad you had such a fabulous time in Atlanta! I hate that I was out of town and unable to make it this year, but it’s definitely on the list for next year! (Especially since it’s in my home town and all…) LOVE the pics, the details, and all the fun stuff! Thanks for sharing!

Yes! I’m really hoping that the dates work out for me to return; would LOVE the opportunity to give you a huge hug in person (the kind that almost knocks the wind out of you). And of course, learn from the blogging greats together!

I heart you so much, Karianne, I feel like I could have devoted a whole post to you and your awesomeness. Seriously. Meeting you and laughing together at the Advanced Advertising class was one of the highlights of Haven for me. Cannot wait until next summer!

Oh please please please attend so we can spend more quality time together, Cindy?! That would make my life. Actually, what would make my life is if you attended Haven AND taught a session on sewing. Now, THAT would be epic.

Oh my golly you are seriously so fantastic. This post is SO good and should basically be an advertisement for all bloggers to attend Haven. Also, thank you for the sweet, sweet mention!!! It’s so cool you and Emily got to meet, and I can’t wait to be right in the middle of some of those photos with you next year!!!

Way cool! I’m headed to BlogPodium which is like Canada’s version of Haven meets ALT in Sept. And you know who is going to be there? Thalita! I think I should msg her so we can do a nice write up for you with some of the other Canadian girls that are going that you know. 🙂 Looks amazing Lauren!

Hey Lauren! Ive been thinking about starting a blog for a long time and all of your posts are truly inspiring!! I have just recently found you and The Thinking Closet but already have doubled my project list from ideas I am finding here. Im just across the state in the Tampa area and cant wait to see what is still to come from you. Keep up the amazing work! You are inspiring and you touch more lives than you know!! Thank you for your hard work and wonderful skills!
~Nicole

Wow, Nicole. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this awesome-blossom comment. It rocks my world to know that you’ve found so much inspiration here; I’m excited for you and the possibility of starting a blog! If you blog with as much heart as you write comments, blogland is going to do a cartwheel when you join its ranks. And if you do, you’ve gotta let me know! I’ll be your first follower. Hugs!

Thanks for reading along, Kadie! And I sure hope you can get to one…the inspiration that you’ll walk away with is well worth the time, effort, and money to get there. (Just make sure it’s a conference I’m attending, so we can hang out. K? K.)

Lauren-
Love this. Love meeting you & already being Insta-friends! 🙂 Love that you’re a history nerd and that Mandi’s Blog Puberty post won you over. That’s what made me start reading her blog, too and I couldn’t remember until you said it! Thanks for being my brain today. 🙂 I look SO forward to meeting you again!
Jessica

Ha ha. Glad you appreciate my geeky knowledge of the Presidents! And how crazy that you connected to Mandi’s post on Blogger Puberty, too! #greatminds Looking forward to spending more quality time with you, Ms. Gourley Girl, next year!

Lauren,
Thanks for the wonderful breakdown of the conference. Being a newbie to the blogging world I see you and these ladies as all blogging giants! I hope to be there next year for sure! It really seems like a great time of getting to know one another.
Have an awesome day
Sandra
The Adored Home

I do hope you can make it next year, Sandra. I really feel like it would be worthwhile for anyone in the d.i.y. or home decor blogging niches. And the value of connecting with bloggers and brands face to face is really priceless. Plus, we Floridians don’t have to pay for airfare! So, there’s that major bonus!

great, Great, GREAT! ! ! post. You write so well and keep it so interesting. I felt as though I was there with you too!
I am with Mark. I would have grabbed the RustOleum’s Never-Wet spray myself. Does it work as well as it claims? I saw a video about it and did not know it was available yet. It claims you can spray it on ANY thing.
Thanks Lauren

Happy to know you enjoyed it, Karen, and that you came along for the ride!

We’ve actually used the NeverWet spray on a few things now, including an outdoor table, and it really does work. It’s phenomenal. Now, it does leave a white film on whatever surface you spray on, so you wouldn’t want it on things you would sit on, but otherwise, it’s pretty nifty! (I wouldn’t try it on the cell phone and then dunk it in water, however. They told us at the conference that their researchers were a little bit brazen with that one.)

Wow, Haven looks awesome, sis! That swag, man, that swag! There’s so much! And what lovely people were there. So glad you could make connections and learn even more about blogging. I’m really inspired by your photo-a-day project, as well. I’ve always wanted to do it, but I think I will do it with a group of some kind. I like the camaraderie of the hashtags! Thanks for sharing your trip with the rest of us!

Oh, I know. And I didn’t even take home half the swag that some people did. There were tons of giveaways, left and right, and some people were giving away swag that just wouldn’t fit in their suitcases. It was crazy!

And yes, I highly recommend the photo-a-day challenge, especially if you can do it as a way to build community. I’m missing it now that we finished it up! Thanks for reading along, sis, and for your prayers.

She’s awesome, right? And I’m SO planning on delving into either milk paint or chalk paint for an upcoming makeover of a roll top desk. Have you ever used it on top of a piece that already had a glossy finish on it? I’m trying to figure out the easiest way to ensure the paint sticks without me totally stripping the piece. Maybe using a de-glosser? Feel free to send any chalk paint wisdom my way, Lori!

I painted a small round end table. Classic hard and shiny top with curved metal legs. It had some super glue that I needed to chisel off and I ran some sandpaper across real quick. (Just because I have always thought you need to.) I painted and then waxed 3 coats of Johnson’s Min Wax, even on the metal. It looks like it came from the store!! I did sand in-between the coats of wax which gave it the feel of store bought smoothness. I am now working on a dining chair for my dear dad to sit on to put on his shoes and a HUGE mirror I found along side the road.
Did Miss Mustard Seed assure you all that it will stick to anything?? The chalk paint I mean. I have not tried the milk paint….. yet!! That looks incredible also. I just love the chippy look!
Excited to see your project down the road!!
(I did learn on the chair that 2 coats of chalk paint is very difficult to sand off to make it look worn. I will be more careful to get better coverage with one coat, or apply a real light second coat. I did work hard to sand it down and would have liked to achieved more wear. I sanded by hand, so maybe an electric one would do the trick!!)

Wow, Lori! Thanks for the extensive response. Sounds like a fantastic finished product. That’s good to know about sanding in between coats of paint. Must have been a lot of work by hand, but it definitely paid off!

I don’t remember Shaunna or Miss Mustard Seed making promises of chalk paint adhering to ANYTHING…but there was a lot of information coming at us fast, so they might have addressed it, and it just went over my head. I think I need to dig around in both of their blogs for some more answers. I have heard that sometimes if you have a dark wood beneath white chalk paint, the dark wood can show through the white. And I’m thinking of white for my first layer…we’ll see if I can find a project out there that is similar to what I’m thinking of. And thanks for the tip on getting good coverage with the first coat of chalk paint, especially if you’re going for more wear. I appreciate all this helpful info!

Thanks, Rachel! I seriously don’t think I would have nabbed a ticket on time if it hadn’t been for you…and certainly, the road trip would have been a lot longer if I hadn’t had you for my grand company. Yes, crossing my fingers and toes that I can make it back for Haven 2014! And that we can repeat our road trip adventures!

Lauren,
I read every word of your so well written and highly interesting post, as well as all the above comments. You made your trip to Oz Blogland sound so magical and have made some wonderful friends. I wonder if you met DIYs who work with tin, straw, and psychologally maladjusted lions, too?!
Dad

You know the Wizard of Oz metaphor suits me well! That movie takes me back to my days in the womb! 😉 Ha ha, and I’m sure some bloggers I encountered have had their fair share of work with tin and straw…now, psychologically maladjusted lions, that one may be a bit more rare! Great to “hangout” with you and Mom tonight. Enjoy your week in the Grove!

I love your wrap-up and all of your pictures. Do you know I didn’t take a single picture with other people (with my camera) while I was there?!?! Big mistake! How do you do a wrap-up without pictures? (Bad blogger! Shame on me!)
Anywho…next time you’re in Atlanta or I’m in Orlando, or we’re at a conference in some other state we HAVE to talk to each other before we are getting in our cars to go home! 🙂

Ha ha! Deal. Next time, we’ll be sure to meet at the opening night cocktail party!

And I’ll tell ya, I got several photos from other sources because mine were just such poor quality on my iPhone. I just couldn’t justify carrying around a DSLR all the time when I had arms full of swag. 😉 Oh well!

I know! That’s how it felt for me at Haven whenever I’d look around the room. It was surreal! And I definitely had some freak-out moments when I met certain bloggers that I had gotten to know pretty well in blogland before meeting them. In fact, I feel like if and when I meet you, it will be a freak out moment. Lots of hugs and screaming!

P.S. Are you going to that blog conference in Canada in September? The name of which I’m forgetting? If so, I have some blog buddies you’ve GOTTA meet.

Quoting our all time fave blogger, Karianne, “you’re a rock star!”. What an amazing post! I loved reliving it all again with you. I was so happy to meet you {you were definitely one on my list I had to meet} but then I got to hang out with you?? Ah-mazing! Best weekend ever.
Hugs & lots of juicy kisses,
Jamie @ somuchbetterwithage.com

Looks like my first attempt at commenting didn’t work! 🙂 Trying again:
Your recap is so full of joy and wonderful details! I am so glad you got to do this and that you and Emily met!!! How cool is that?!?! Haven 2014 must happen k? Pretty please? I want in on these fun pictures and on the swag! My goodness!

I’m really excited about the prospect of a photo with me, you, and Emily at Haven 2014. I’m directing a show mid-July, which is when they said they’re going to have the conference next year, so of course, I’m saying my selfish prayers that the hotels are all booked up mid-July, and they’ll have to resort to late July or early August again. It would seriously break my heart if I missed out on an opportunity to hang with THE Thalita Murray in real life. Staying positive!

Lauren, you are beaming in every one of the photos! Yep, you were definitely in your element. You are a great storyteller too. You tell stories with words, pictures and fantastic collages on your blog! You have mastered social media. You and Karianne are neck-to-neck with your incredible postive and enthuastic attitudes. I need to find a conference that teaches blog design and social media because I just don’t get twitter. I would have been in my element at the Haven conference too but the only problem is……my heart doesn’t have the energy it once did. So…….I’ll go at my snail pace and have fun reading all the adventures of my favorite bloggers.

I’m so glad you enjoyed my anecdotes, Sandy! I hoped it would still be engaging for someone who wasn’t there…I really wish I could brought you all along with me. The more, the merrier! And I don’t know about mastering social media…sometimes I feel like it masters me, ha ha, but I’ll take your high praise nonetheless. Thank you kindly, friend.

Awwww! What a blast! This looks like so much fun! So many super stars to meet (including yourself, girl)! I would be totally star struck by all these wonderful ladies. So much fun! Thanks for sharing with us so we can imagine what it would be like to be there with you.

Hi Lauren, I loved reading your Haven recap! I really hope to go next year. By the way, I am *finally* paying someone to move my blog to self-hosted wordpress (we emailed about this awhile back) and I am so excited! 🙂 The new site should be up in the next couple of weeks.

Yay! Kristen, of course I recall our correspondence, and that’s super exciting about your upcoming migration. As I recently told my friend Kelly who is also migrating, take lots of deep breaths and focus on the light at the end of the tunnel. It can feel so overwhelming, but at least you’ll have a hired professional taking the reigns for the hard part. Will you let me know when It Comes Full Circle 2.0 is up and running? Would love to stop by and check out the new digs.

I’ll be sure to check out your FB album…thanks for the heads-up! And thanks again for all that you did to make Haven such a fantastic event. I was really impressed by all of the sponsor love, especially that amazing cocktail party you threw the first night. And I’m excited to chat with y’all about how we might collaborate in the future. Thanks for your kind comment!

This was so much fun to read. I felt like I was there!!
I love nursing conferences for very similar reasons…roomies, networking with other nurses,
the sessions filled with new knowledge, inspiration, and learning! The food and some side sight-seeing trips were also great…
the SWAG (yes, we have that at nursing conferences, too!) and connections!!
This last year I presented a poster at my conference and that adds another dimension. I’m sure you’ll have that opportunity of sharing your expertise one day!
The only thing I haven’t done on your list is instagram it, but I did bring my lap top and sent daily updates back to colleagues at the hospital who couldn’t attend.
Hope you can go again soon!

Now I see where I get my love of conferences from! It’d be fun to attend a nursing conference with you, maybe at your poster booth, just to see what it’s like! And of course, for the nursing SWAG! 😉 And your daily updates via email and FB to friends at the hospital trumps instagram in my mind. Such a great way to keep everyone in the loop! Well done, Mama.

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I’m a New York gal putting down new roots in Orlando, Florida with my hubby and our sailboat. My heart skips a beat for all things creative, be it crafting, upcycling, sewing, journaling…especially blogging. If I can make you smile or ignite in you a spark of inspiration, then my job is done here. Won’t you grab a cup of chai, a comfy blanket, and stay a while? {read more...}

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